OTTAWA—The Canadian meat industry is asking the federal government to pull funding from the World Health Organization after its cancer research agency classified meat as a carcinogen based on scientific evidence.

At last week’s Canadian Meat Council conference, Health Minister Jane Philpott reportedly said she would bring the matter to her department for review.

“The World Health Organization and its International Agency for Research on Cancer are a respected, responsible, and independent voice on important matters of public health. Once again, the shameless meat industry shows a reckless disregard for the lives and safety of others—this time, the humans who will get a preventable, painful, and life-threatening disease from consuming carcinogenic meats.

“The science is clear that consuming too many animal products is bad for the planet, human health, and the animals themselves. Our government should be spearheading policies that reduce meat, dairy, and egg consumption, as countries like China are already doing and the United Nations and Chatham House suggest all countries do.

“The Canadian government is too willing to cater to the narrow interests of the meat industry at the expense of the environment, animal welfare, and public health. Meat industry lobbyists are interested in one thing: preserving their profits. But this is Canada, where we expect our government to look out for the public interest, not corporate profits.”

This isn’t the first time Animal Justice has criticized the federal government’s overly cozy relationship with the agriculture industry. Earlier this year, Animal Justice exposed the government funding scientific research on dairy with a pre-ordained health conclusion as well as the agriculture department’s conflict of interest with the egg industry.

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